The Downside of Beauty, Fame, and Wealth: The Illusion of Happiness and Fulfillment in Worldly Attainments

Most people engage in worldly pursuits, laboring under the false impression that they will find personal wholeness or satisfaction there.

No satisfaction

Dissatisfaction with life is a problem as old as antiquity.

For savages of pre-history, life was a constant struggle to procure enough food to survive and obtain shelter from predators and other humans who wanted to take what little they had. The noble savage is a silly myth.

When humans banded together and became more civilized, small numbers of people began to live privileged lives, unfettered by the need to scavenge for food or worry about shelter. These few had a precious opportunity to live by their choices rather than the demands of the environment.

See: Tibetan Buddhist Lamrim: Your Precious Human Life

On the Indian sub-continent, mystic traditions began as a few people chose to examine their own experiences and look into the workings of their minds.